1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, a device, and a program, as well as a method for collecting management information from a plurality of network printers. In particular, the present invention relates to a device associative management system, a network device, and a program for a device, as well as a device associative management method which are preferable for reducing cost and time and improving reliability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a technique for collecting status information from a plurality of network printers using a printer management server, for example, there is a printer management system as shown in FIG. 47.
FIG. 47 is a block diagram showing a structure of the conventional printer management system.
As shown in FIG. 47, a printer management server 100, which manages network printers 200, and a plurality of routers 110 are connected to the Internet 199. A plurality of network printers 200 and a printer management server 120, which manages those network printers 200, are connected to each router 110. The network printers 200 and the printer management server 120 are connected to the Internet 199 via the router 110. In addition, the router 110, the network printers 200, and the printer management server 120 constitute one sub-network 198. The sub-network 198 is constituted, for example, for each company.
The network printers 200 are managed by the printer management server 120 of the sub-network 198 to which the network printer 200 itself belongs. The network printer 200 generates status information periodically and stores the generated status information in a storage. In addition, when the network printer 200 receives a request for acquiring status information, it sends the status information in the storage to the printer management server 120.
The printer management server 120 manages the respective network printers 200 of the sub-network 198 to which the printer management server 120 itself belongs. The printer management server 120 sends a request for acquiring status information to the respective network printers 200 at a predetermined period. When the printer management server 120 receives status information, it stores the received status information in a status information registration database (database is hereinafter abbreviated simply as DB) for each network printer 200. In addition, the printer management server 120 sends the status information in the status information registration DB to the printer management server 100 in a predetermined period.
The printer management server 100 manages the respective printer management servers 120. When the printer management server 100 receives status information, it stores the received status information in a storage for each network printer 200.
Note that, as another technique related to such a printer management system, for example, there is a maintenance method for a printing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-161134 (hereinafter referred to as the first conventional example).
In addition, as a technique for dynamically changing a server, for example, there is a network system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-181653 (hereinafter referred to as the second conventional example).
In the second conventional example, a first server determines that a substitute server is a second server on the basis of substitute server selecting conditions of a device information table. The first server sends management information (a device information table and a performance information table), a reference D2 (print request) and print data D1, which are stored in the first server, to the second server to thereby request that the second server change for the first server. The second server updates management information of the second server on the basis of the management information sent from the first server. In addition, the second server stores the reference D2 and the print data D1 sent from the first sever in a spool. Next, the second server notifies a work station that a transmission destination server of the print data D1 and the reference D2 has been changed to the second server and notifies a printer that an acquisition destination server of the print data D1 has been changed to the second server.
Consequently, even in the case in which a trouble has occurred in a server, print processing can be continued by dynamically selecting a substitute server.
However, in the above-described conventional printer management system, the printer management server 120 is provided for each sub-network 198. Thus, introduction and management of the printer management server 120 require cost and time. This is true for the first conventional example and the second conventional example because it is necessary to provide a server in the examples as well.
Moreover, in the second conventional example, a specific server selects a substitute server. Thus, in the case in which a trouble has occurred in the specific server before the substitute server changes for the specific server, or in the case in which a trouble has occurred in the specific server and the substitute server after the substitute server changes for the specific server, it is likely that print processing stops, and reliability for coping with the trouble is not sufficient.
Note that such problems are assumed for not only a network printer but also for other network devices other than the network printer.